On 17 November, 2020, the China-EU School of Law (CESL) Lecture Series on “International Legal Professions” was successfully held in Room 305 of the Mingfa Building, on the Changping Campus of CUPL. Mr. SONG Yunfu, Director General of The Foreign Affairs Department of the Ministry of Health, and Coordinator of the UN Reform and Partnership Programme in the WHO, was invited to CESL to give a lecture on “Be an International Civil Servant” for students. The lecture was hosted by Professor ZHENG Yongliu from CESL.

Prof. ZHENG said, in order to carry out the educational goal of cultivating international legal professionals, and promote the diversification of curriculum and teaching models, the Lecture Series of “International Legal Professions” was born. The first lecture started in September 2013, and the lecture series has been going on for seven years, with one to two sessions held each year. Speakers invited are all foreign legal professionals with lots of years of international work experience, including Mr. CHEN Shiqiu, famous diplomat, former Ambassador for Human Rights in Geneva; Mr. HUANG Qun, partner of Taylor Wessing LLP; Mr. MEI Pinhe, the founder of CLECSS, and so on. By speakers sharing their work experience in foreign affairs departments of government, international organizations, international law firms or multinational companies, the lectures help CESL students broaden their international horizons and expand employment channels.

Mr. SONG spoke about "WHY" (why to work in an international organization), "WHAT" (what is an international civil servant), and "HOW" (how to cultivate the necessary qualities), as the main lines of the lecture, combined with his 40 years of international work experience, fully and vividly introduced the entry qualifications and work environment of international civil servants. He encouraged CESLers to take internships and work in internationally.

WHY【Why to work in an international organization】

International civil servants, together with the international organizations they serve, play an important and irreplaceable role in global governance. At the beginning, Mr. SONG pointed out that the existence of Chinese employees in international organizations helps “enhancing China’s representation, promoting our country’s power of discourse and international influence”. Chinese staff should properly position themselves as international civil servants, aim at the goal of serving people in the world, inject fresh Chinese wisdom into the global governance plan, indirectly realize the purpose of serving the country, and directly promote the interests of the people in the world. When talking about several Chinese working in important positions in international organizations, such as XUE Hanqin, SHI Jiuyong, CHEN Fengfuzhen, Mr. SONG could not hide his joy. But he also pointed out that there were few Chinese in key positions now, and it was urgent to make talents in law and foreign languages enter international organizations.

WHAT【What is an international civil servant】

Mr. SONG answered the question “What is an international civil servant” from six aspects: staff classification, application qualifications, benefits, behavior standards, employment principles, and application methods. He pointed out the 3-R’s of recruitment for international organizations—Right People, Right Time, Right Place. Mr. SONG suggested CESLers to pay attention to relevant channels such as Junior Professional Officers (JPO), Young Professionals Programme (YPP), Intern Programs (Intern), and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) to get opportunities to work in international organizations.

HOW【How to cultivate the necessary qualities】

In the section “How to cultivate the necessary qualities”, Mr. SONG elaborated on the core qualities of international employees. To “get in, stand up, and rise up”, it was essential to have professional abilities, to be good at communication and uphold the ethics of integrity and inclusiveness. Moreover, the most important thing was to maintain the coexistence of international vision and patriotism.

Recalling the past decades of studying abroad and international work, Mr. SONG said that from joining in work in 1964 to entering the World Health Organization in 1994, it took him 30 years to realize his dream. In his youth, he participated in medical aid to Africa, went to the countryside to grow rice, and then worked as a translator for President DENG. And finally, he entered the WHO as an international civil servant. Mr. SONG emphasized that there is no small matter in work. As President XI said, one should not always think of being a great official, but of doing great things. If every little person does small things, then we can accomplish a great thing together.

At the end of the lecture, Mr. SONG encouraged CESLers to bravely pursue their dreams with the quotations of President XI, we should keep on working hard, and do not give up dreams because of the complexity of reality, as well as their pursuit because of the remoteness of ideals.

Writing | WENG Yan, 2020 Double Master, CESL
Photo | SONG Yan, ZHU Chenxu, 2020 Double Master, CESL
| Publicity Department of Party Committee, CUPL
Translation | ZHAO Xin, 2020 Double Master, CESL